Street-car bridge for protection of fire-hose



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H S. B. SWEENEY & B. E. CLARK. STREET GAR BRIDGE FOR PROTECTION OF FIREHOSE. No. 556,382. Patented Mar. 17', 1896 (No Model.)

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S. B. SWEENEY & B. F. CLARK. STREET GAR BRIDGE FOR PROTECTION OF FIREHOSE. No. 556,382. I Patented Mar. 17,1896.

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\ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL B. SXVEENEY AND BENJAMIN F. CLARK, OF ZIONSVILLE, INDIANA.

STREET-CAR BRIDGE FOR PROTECTION OF FIRE-HOSE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,382, dated March1'7, 1896.

Application filed August 10, 1895. Serial No. 558,948. (No model) To allwhom, it may concern.-

Be it known. that we, SAMUEL B. SWEENEY and BENJAMIN F. CLARK, residingat Zionsvillc, county of Boone, State of Indiana, have invented a newand useful Street-Oar Bridge for Protection of Fire-Hose, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The objects of this invention are, first, to prevent a blockade ofstreet-car traific and secure protection of fire-hose; second, to have astreet-carbridge of durability, containing no wood, composed entirely ofsteel, and containing no taps, bolts, or screws that may become lost;third, to have a street-car bridge of such a weight as to enable it tobe conveyed on a street-car without inconvenience to passengers. lVeattain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 represents one-half the bridge in positionon street car track; Fig. 2, full length of top rail, showingbridge-support; Fig. 3, one section of street-car bridge, showin gextension-rail with flc nged bar connected beneath, Fig. 4 showing onesection of streetcar bridge folded. Fig. 5 shows the bridge applied to astreet-car track, and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the bridge andcross-bar.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In Fig. 1, J is a street-car rail. A is the top rail of the bridge, tobe of sufficient height and strength to protect fire-hose and be shorterin length than the distance between the front and rear trucks of astreet-car.

In Fig. 3, B represents the extension-rail to be two inches, more orless, longer than the distance between the front and rear trucks.

C is a steel bar half the length and half of the thickness of theextension-rail B and of sufficient width to admit of the flanges beingturned down on each side to fit on a street car rail, as represented byI. C will be firmly riveted beneath and to extension 13.

E in rail A and E in O are loose rivets to admit of folding, asrepresented in Fig. 4.

D is the bridge-support and is riveted beneath and to the center of railA. The bridgesupports D D in the two sections will be two inches, moreor less, different in length, in

order for cross-bars F'F to form a brace to the bridge when complete.

F F represent cross-bars to connect the two sections with a length tocorrespond with the width of gage of street-car track. G G will beattached either by rivets or welding to F F, forming a loop or socketfor flanges K K on bridge-support to drop into. The sockets G G will beabout five-eighths of an inch, or thereabout, deeper than depth of K Kin the bridge-support D, in order that the weight of the car in passingover rail A may be on parts G G, which are attached to F F.

H H are offsets of parts G G, fitting on the inside of street-car railto form abrace to hold the bridge in position.

L is a shield four inches wide, three-sixteenths of an inch thick, or ofdimensions approximate thereto, with open springs riveted on each end tofasten on F F when the same is in position to protect the fire-hose frombrakerods on street-cars. The length of same depends on the length ofthe bridge-supports D D. The ends of rails A A and the outer ends ofextensions B B and pieces 0 0 connected with same will be drawn to athin edge, while the outer endsof extensions B B will not only be drawnto a thin edge, but pressed down, forming a short flange, as representedby M, to aid in keeping the same in position on a street-car rail.

The object in having extensions B B two inches longer than the distancebetween front and rear car-trucks is in order that the rear truck may beon B before the front truck begins to ascend rail A.

The obj ect-in having rails A A shorter than the distance between frontand rear car-trucks is in order that front truck may be on B before therear truck commences to ascend rail A. By this means the weight of thecar will hold the bridge in position.

That we do claim as our invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

1. The combination with the curved rails, of supports D, D of unequallength and crossbars, F, F, provided with sockets to receive the uprightportion of supports, D, D, to form a bracing substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with curved rails, A,

A, supports, D, D, socketed cross-bars, F, F, G, G, having ofisets orshoulders, H, 11, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the cross bars uniting the curved bridge-railsof the shields, L, L, and means for removably attaching the same to thecross-bars, substantially as set forth.

4. Extension-rai1s B B longer than distance between front and reartrucks of street-car, and Width same as width of street-car rail, andpieces represented by O 0, half the length and half the thickness ofextensions B B, and not only riveted beneath extensions B B but SAMUELB. SWEENEY. BENJAMIN F. CLARK. Vitnesses:

JAMES N. lIARMoN, SAMUEL A. IloovER.

